The present invention relates generally to a clamp for grasping items for further handling, and more particularly to a clamp that precisely stacks regularly shaped crop bales, and readily grasps both regularly and irregularly shaped objects for further handling.
A large proportion of the resources and time of the agricultural industry is directed toward the production of feed for animals, and most specifically to the production of baled stem and leaf crops such as hay. The conventional process is to cut and condition the crop with a windrower, deposit it on the ground to dry, bale the crop when appropriately dry, and then position the bales in stacks for storage or transportation. These bales are produced in many shapes, from cylindrical (“round”) to rectangular or cubical, and sizes. A significant issue with crop bales is stacking of the bales for storage, and the manipulation of those bales to create a tied stack that will withstand the pressures of weather and time. In mechanical bale handling systems, the manipulation step requires fairly precise positioning of bales, one on top of another, or spanning two others. Some such systems employ hooks, grapples or spears, damaging the bales, and sometimes even misplacing the bales during the necessary release step.
Another particular issue in material handling is the grasping of irregularly shaped objects, such as barrels or boulders. Clamping mechanisms are used in several material handling technologies, such as attachments for skid steer loaders, forklifts, and farm tractor loader booms. The problems with previous such mechanisms or assemblies is that they do not permit ready grasping of both regularly and irregularly shaped objects for movement, stacking or even selective dumping.
It would be a significant advantage to develop an improved clamping mechanism that permits grasping of both regularly and irregularly shaped objects for further manipulation.